All possible combos in Wilds perform similarly, but two stand out slightly. These work best when the monster is downed or not attacking you. Both combos come with a leaping thrust variation that allows you to close distance while allowing you to then transition into the main combo.

This is the best combo in Wilds and unfortunately also the most boring, as you simply press one button repeatedly. It has the highest damage output when using elemental weapons due to its speed and high hit count.

Because it's the fastest combo, it reaches the final level of Charge Counter quickest, and you have the most options to interrupt and react to incoming attacks. Even though it doesn't have the highest raw damage, this makes it the best combo overall.

So the true power of this combo doesn't necessarily come from the damage it deals, but rather from it's reaction speed and ability to reposition.

Since corrupted mantle only provides extra damage ticks on mid thrusts and triple thrust, this becomes the optimal combo while wearing it. You get bonus damage ticks on every mid thrust plus one on the triple finisher.

In Wilds, we can perform leaping thrust from neutral (this is faster than from guard dash and doesn't consume stamina, preserving Max Might). In situations where you're at a small distance from the monster, consider using leaping thrust into mid thrust + mid thrust + triple thrust combo. This deals slightly less damage but allows you to close distance more efficiently.

This combo is often used after a power clash or after popping a wound, as it usually leaves you at a distance where this combo perfectly catches up to the monster. For the second loop you then transition into mid thrust spam.

For raw damage, we want to utilize the high motion value of wide sweep. Since we can't start with wide sweep and the third high thrust deals more damage than the second, the optimal combo is: high thrust + wide sweep + high thrust + charge counter.

High thrust into triple poke is somehow slow, so performing an empty charge counter (without actually countering) works better. Make sure not to charge the counter, release it as quickly as possible.

Although this combo deals more raw damage than mid thrust spam, it is slower and less reactive. Therefore, you see a lot of players still using mid thrust spam when using raw weapons and the monster is moving, as it allows for better repositioning and reaction speed.

This is the highest damage combo when using raw or status weapons, or when the elemental hitzone is very low. Remember that while wearing corrupted mantle, mid thrust spam remains better since this combo doesn't provide extra damage ticks.

When you need to close distance, use leaping thrust into high thrust + wide sweep + high thrust combo. This deals slightly less damage but allows gap closing.

This variation of the combo is often used after power clash or wound popping, as it usually leaves you at the perfect distance to catch up to the monster.